Category: Live Reviews

West Hill Community Hall,
Brighton 16/06/2009

The Sceptres are running late, but soon plug in, tune up.. and go! I’ve seen this band a lot of times and like a lot of what they do, with their twisted exuberant Dangerhouse styled L.A. punk explosions. “Snake” from their EP comes over especially well tonight, most rocking.

Next up… London trio Methodist Centre, whose unique setup consists of 2 singing drummers, a lone guitarist, and snappy meat ‘n potatoes sing-a-long punk, that is from the Hard Skin school of.. errr.. hard knocks! Yes, funny band… and the “does your boyfriend know you’re here, does your girlfriend know you’re queer” song about a sneaky night in Brighton is mighty topical. Good work. Southampton’s Whole in The Head to follow… and they are in typically ferocious form, belting out crushing breakneck political hardcore fury. Don’t think I’ve seen this band play a bad set, ever. And their closing mangled heavy cover of “Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite” is a winner with the crowd.

Limp Wrist are four openly gay guys from the USA with a long track of playing in hardcore bands, and have long threatened to hit our shores. Finally, they are here, and Brighton is their first port of call in the UK. The venue is packed to the rafters and on one of the hottest days this summer, the temperature is at boiling point by the time they hit the stage. No shit, the place goes totally nuts… and although singer Martin (formerly of Los Crudos) is nursing a twisted ankle, there is no holding him back as the full tilt assault from the band creates pandemonium in the pit. One poor kid ends up lumped on his head and is carried staggering outside, only to return a few songs later for more. No-one wants to miss out.

But tonight wasn’t just about slamming to some way-pumping old hardcore; Whilst Limp Wrist’s music may break no new boundaries, their posi-gay stance really does make them stand out. The underground punk scene has long prided itself on embracing racial and sexual minorities, and fighting narrow minded bigotry. And, as Martin dryly notes, is a place for ‘freaks’ like him. And us. Outsiders. Punks. A great gig this, definitely. But also a celebration of values, spirit and community.

Pete Craven

Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
London
1/6/09

Free shows of this calibre are a rarity, so kudos are due to Brighton hardcore crew The Ghost Of A Thousand for throwing tonight’s bash as a release party for their belter of a second album – ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations‘. However, such shows always seem to attract a mix of the genuinely interested and those who simply have nothing better to do on a hot summer evening, which tonight ensures that the bands have to compete with the outside smoking area for the crowd’s attention.

Warship fail to shake the majority of the crowd out of their heat-induced stupor, although vocalist Francis Mark’s history in Long Island bruisers From Autumn To Ashes ensures that those assembled are at least curious. Mixing passages of intricate calm with thunderous, sludgy riffs, they sound pretty impressive, and deservedly draw several extra punters away from the bar. Outcry Collective frontman Steve Sitowski is certainly not lacking in enthusiasm or energy, and his band’s raucous, full-pelt attack manages to compensate for his endearingly crap between-song banter. Did you know his mum’s a great bowler? Neither did we.

“Right, this is our party!” declares The Ghost Of A Thousand vocalist Tom Lacey, and indeed, it is only as they rip through an eardrum-shattering ‘Bright Lights‘ that tonight actually feels like the party that it’s supposed to be. ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations’ sees TGOAT sounding heavier and more confident than ever before, and it translates well into the live setting; with a decent sized pit roaring along to songs old and new, and the band seemingly thriving on the chaos that unfolds in front of them. By the end of their set, the bowling lanes have been all but abandoned, with folks clambering on chairs and tables to get a better view of the stage. A fine end to a great bill, and the lasting impression is that crowd apathy is no problem for TGOAT when they’re on such blistering form.

Alex Gosman

Canterbury Park
Shakopee, Minnesota
24.05.09

A parking lot in the middle of the Minnesotan countryside was the unusual setting for the world’s premier independent hip hop festival. Forget Rock The Bells, forget Paid Dues – Soundset is the true king and after the brilliant 2008 event, Minneapolis label Rhymesayers, the event’s organisers, went even better in 2009.

The two stages were both so choc-full of talent it was almost impossible to decide where to go, but whoever was witnessed, they didn’t disappoint. Starting off on the mainstage, with the sun beating down and around 14,000 people milling around, Aceyalone and Ab Rude dropped the feel good and got the smiles firmly planted on the crowd’s faces with their typically upbeat tunes. Next up was the returning duo of Eyedea and Abilities who showcased new material from their upcoming album “By The Throat” which hits stores in July. Eyedea’s blistering vocals and Abilities mind-bending turntables skills were a joy to behold as the showed that 5 years away from the hip hop game hasn’t blunted their talent and the raucus applause they recieved was a measure of how much they’ve been missed.

Moving over to the Fifth Element stage, Doomtree’s Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak, the duo known as Hand Over Fist were rocking the crowd with fellow DTR member Paper Tiger. The local rapper knew exactly how to get the crowd moving and his call was a perfect invitation for the crowd’s response which never faltered throughout the set. The beats were banging, with Lazerbeak throwing the drums out from an MPC and Mictlan’s delivery was spot on, the perfect way to show just how talented the crew and indeed the city of Minneapolis, really is.

As if that wasn’t enough Doomtree awesomeness, the main stage then saw P.O.S bring his ridiculously brilliant show to the fore. Never once looking over-awed by the now huge crowd, he and Plain Ole Bill dropped tracks from his recently released “Never Better” album, with sing-a-longs galore before Stef brought out his guitar, allowing his hardcore roots to get their chance to shine in the sun. Crew-mates Dessa and Sims joined him for “Low Light Low Life” before he made way for the enigmatic Sage Francis, who, along with B. Dolan, provided the perfect segue to El-P.

Before El-P hit the main stage however, we moved back across to the Fifth Element stage to see One Be Lo, formerly One Man Army of Binary Star fame. Binary Star were one of the most underrated independent hip hop groups going so to hear the MC bring out some old BS classics was amazing. As soon as he was finished, we hotfooted it back across for the Def Jux head honcho’s set which was comically interspersed with a drunk couple slow-grinding each other to the most sludgey hip hop known to man – who knows what was going on in their heads! El’s set was as big as anticipated with the unexpected bonus of Blueprint rushing the stage and using Mr Dibbs’ microphone to jack a chorus.

Immortal Technique got many of the crowd hyped but was far too monotonous for my liking, but Freeway and Jake One hit the stage to wipe that memory away, the rapper being the latest signing to Rhymesayers. Whilst that was going on, we moved back again to the smaller stage to see Sims‘ set which once again saw fellow Doomtree members hit the stage as P.O.S and Mictlan rejoined him to continue their supremely impressive showing at the festival.

After Sims was done it was over to the bleachers looking out onto the mainstage for the rest of the evening. Brother Ali hit the stage earlier than expected [as DOOM was late!] but showed no signs of letting that affect him belting out crowd favourites like “Forest Whitaker” and the like. There are very few things more satisfying than listening to the big bad motherfuckin’ Brother Ali with the sun beating down on you. When the albino MC was done, it was time for the Metal Faced villain to take to the stage.

Now, let’s get this clear from the off, just seeing DOOM turn up was a treat, following his well publicised continual pulling-out of shows or sending someone else in his place wearing his mask. He played on this at the start of the set, sending out a DOOMposter but when he finally hit the stage, people were more hyped than ever. What following was one of the biggest anti-climaxes in history – the sound cut twice, his hype man was louder than DOOM himself, continually drowning him out and the crowd lost interest quite quickly. But fuck it, at least we saw him right?

If the atmosphere was dampened after DOOM, The Pharcyde‘s bouncing onto the stage stirred it right back up immediately. With all four original members on stage for the first time in years, they knocked out the classics like “Runnin‘” and “Ya Mama” as well as Booty Brown dropping his guest verse from the last Gorillaz album. But the cake-taker of the set was the cover of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” complete with dance moves. They may have been a while but they have lost absolutely nothing, brilliant.

The closing set came from the homegrown kings of the underground – Atmosphere. I have honestly never seen a sight like it in my life when “God Loves Ugly” was played and around 14,000 people threw their hands in the air, pumping back and forth, creating a human wave to gee on Slug and Ant. Slug was at his brilliant best with the crowd, sometimes loving them, sometimes jokingly dissing them – “How’d you know the words? Your old brother lend you a cassette?” – but always staying in control, keeping the spectators eating out of the palm of his hand. Hearing my favourite Atmosphere track, “One Of A Kind” was a highlight among what was an incredible set. They played to the packed out crowd as the sun went down before aptly playing “Sunshine” and signing off the single greatest day of hip hop I’ve ever experienced.

For an independent label to be able to organise an event like this, keep the price down to $30 a ticket whilst having a line-up as eye-popping as they did, is nothing short of a miracle. Every last word of praise deserves to go to everyone at Rhymesayers – Keep on doing what you’re doing and let’s get Soundset 2010 coming around soon!

Abjekt.

Shout out to Jake Money for the hook ups.

The Electric Ballroom
Camden, London
26.05.09

Last year Black Lips came to town and took out the 100 Club with an amazing performance. It was one of the shows of 2008. They then went one better at Heaven where the bouncers couldn’t deal with their psych garage rock and definitely could not handle the crowd, the result was nothing short of complete chaos. In 2009 though the naughty foursome are back in London for their big one, a date with the London massive at the Electric Ballroom, a venue that Trail of Dead filled to the brim last month and blew the roof off.

Tonight, the Lips get the place going with the wonderful singalong tracks from their second album Good Bad Not Evil. The band ploughed through classics such as ‘O Katrina’, ‘Bad Kids’ and ‘Veni Vidi Vici‘, songs you can identify only as theirs from an album that won the hearts of so many in 2007 and the reaction is massive. But things have changed since then. Their new album is not in the same league and the songs tonight show it. Guitarist Ian Saint Pé introduces “Drugs but after reminding the crowd of the title 4 times, the reaction is poor. It’s pretty fair to say that the new songs just don’t have that same punch to them and seem to disappear somewhat. The band seemed to have picked up on this too as they struggle to find momentum until single ‘Short Fuse’ lifts the place, it’s one of the only tracks from the new 200 Million Thousand album that is slightly recognisable. Latest single I’ll Be With You is a good example as the out of tune vocals wash straight through the crowd as they head for the bar, same as the barfly blues of new track ‘Starting Over’.

The band are clearly not happy with something tonight and after a long break, they return for an encore with Cole and Jared arguing over what track to play and a guy called John on drums. Jared left the stage for Cole to deliver the b-side to their debut single ‘Stone Cold‘, which left the audience er…exactly that. It hardly made for a happy ending and left the London crowd heading for an early tube and the band looking like they were going to have a punch up! But at least with this lot you know that something is gonna happen, maybe that’s the attaction as we still love them regardless.

This show was like a game of 2 halves. The good was great, but the new wasn’t even evil. Let’s hope the next time they come to town they have a plan of attack as the ‘drugs’ certainly didn’t work this time round.

Alexander Tate

London Forum,
21/5/05
with Every Time I Die, The Ghost of a Thousand, Sounds Like Violence

Not many bands can manage to get a decent-sized circle pit going in a half-full venue at the ungodly hour of 8pm, but The Ghost Of A Thousand manage it with ease, their abrasive hardcore attack whipping the crowd into action. Their confidence is understandable, given that their excellent second album ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations‘ will be released next month, and the fact that they don’t seem remotely fazed by playing a venue of this size bodes well for their future.

Every Time I Die keep the party going in fine style. It helps that in Keith Buckley, they have one of the most gloriously unhinged frontmen this side of, well, Frank Carter, as well as a seemingly limitless arsenal of thunderous riffs. Like with all of tonight’s bands, there’s a sense of the visceral and the untamed to their set, and the sole new song debuted tonight is so dark, filthy and furious that it could have come bursting out of a coal mine with all guns blazing. As ‘Ebolarama‘ sparks utter mayhem in the pit, you get the feeling that ETID could soon reach beyond their cult following on this side of the Atlantic.

Tonight was always going to be something special; not just due to the excellent bill, but also because it’s the last date of Gallows‘ tour, and the closest thing the Watford Five have to a hometown show. They’ve come a long way since their early days, but there’s still that certain underdog aura to them – the self-proclaimed “five dicks from Watford” who are taking on the world and seemingly winning – and it’s partly because of this that there’s no end of goodwill from the crowd, who howl and bounce and sweat to every single note.

Whilst devoting at least two thirds of their set to new material might seem like a foolhardy action to some, the frenzied circle pit and massive human pyramid that greet ‘The Great Forgiver‘ suggest otherwise. It’s clear that those present tonight already hold ‘Grey Britain‘ as close to their hearts as they do ‘Orchestra Of Wolves‘; the main difference between the two records being that the likes of ‘Misery‘ and new single ‘London Is The Reason‘ are bigger, more focused sonic smart-bombs that can more than hold their own in theatre-sized venues.

They save the best until last, though – an encore appearance of ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’, which sees Frank and guitarist Steph surrendering themselves to the hands of the crowd, before bringing the evening to a close with a spectacular funeral-march style drum parade for ‘Crucifucks‘. Gallows indictment of our country is a bleak one indeed, but the band’s own future has never looked brighter.

Alex Gosman
Photos: Zac

There’s mancam action below from this show featuring Richard Carter from Blackhole and Eva from Rolo Tomassi, her voice is viscious.

London ULU,
19/5/09

It’s The Bronx, Jim, but not quite as we know them. When Matt Caughthran and his merry men first appear on stage tonight, the majority of the crowd is clearly amused and bemused in equal measures, as tonight the much-loved hardcore rockers are supported by their own alter-ego, Mariachi El Bronx. Dressed in traditional mariachi dress and accompanied by three violinists and a trumpet player, it’s odd to witness these purveyors of aural chaos in such a smooth, suave context. They sound great though, and it only takes a few songs before loud applause and shouts of “Arriba!” echo around the room.

Interval entertainment arrives next, in the form of performance artist Simon Subvert. He dissects a toy rabbit, and then sets to work on various parts of his own body with nails, razorblades, and other sharp instruments. A darker, more realistic shade of fake blood wouldn’t have been a bad idea, but even so, he makes us feel slightly ill – which was probably the point.

So there’s a sense of relief when The Bronx return, and fuck me, they do not disappoint in the slightest! Right from the start, this is pure, unadulterated, visceral, turbocharged rock n’ roll chaos; the kind that too few bands can deliver these days. The pit steadily swells in size as the band unleash the likes of ‘They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy)‘ and ‘Shitty Future‘ onto the grateful, sweat-soaked, flailing mass in front of them, and there is simply no let up in energy throughout what seems like a painfully short hour-long set.

Seriously, folks, this is what rock n’ roll should be about – passion, vitality, but above all, unpredictability. Mariachi El Bronx may be a brave (and very much worthwhile) side-project, but The Bronx shouldn’t – nay, mustn’t – give up the day job when they’re on such blistering form.

Alex Gosman

The Macbeth
13th May 2009

Photos by Phil Procter

Evan Dando is in town to promote his newest venture, a covers album called ‘Varshons’, a wonderful mix of tracks from GG Allin, Christina Aguilera, Gram Parsons and Leonard Cohen to name but a few.

The Macbeth provides an unusually intimate venue for tonight’s show – given that on his previous trips to London Dando has sold out The Empire, Forum and Somerset House. Tonight’s venue is heaving by the time Dando bounds onto the tiny stage over half an hour late. It’s just him and his guitar standing alone in front of a few hundred ardent fans (some a little too ardent, but more of that later..). He drifts into ‘Outdoor Type’ and from there the pace rarely slackens, as he slips from track to track, his notebook open on the stage with a hastily scrawled set list and lyrics to some of the newer tracks.

‘Drug Buddy’, ‘Rudderless‘ and crowd pleaser ‘It’s a Shame About Ray‘ are all hollered back at the stage word perfect – there are a couple of girls at the front whose voices actually overtake Dando’s at some point. He keeps the chatter to a minimum, and seems a little shy of the attention, his hair falling over his face, shoulders hunched around his guitar. ‘Down About it‘ and ‘Into Your Arms‘ get just a few verses and a chorus each, as Dando flits about the set list, picking and choosing – and even taking requests from the crowd.

A cover of GG Allin’s tongue in cheek ‘Layin’ Up With Linda‘ is a glimpse at the new album, as it the sublime version of Gram Parson ‘ I Just Can’t Take it Anymore‘ – Dando’s wonderfully smooth country lilt is enough to give you goose bumps, Parsons would be proud.

A blonde hops onto the stage to provide backing vocals and dances around – which at first is ok with Dando, he even offers for her to sing a verse – but when she declines to leave the stage at the end of the song he gets visibly annoyed, and goes to leave, only returning to get his guitar, before the evening is saved by another audience member who hauls the girl and her friend off the stage. Well done that man.

Dando seems a little rattled by this, but returns to sing a few more tracks, including a half hearted version of ‘My Name is Luca‘ and then stunning renditions of ‘ Bit Part‘ and ‘Different Drum‘. There’s another upset when one of his lyrics sheets goes walking, and by the end of the evening his scrawl filled notebooks has gone walkabout too. Whilst it’s one thing to request a set list at the end of the night, stealing personal items is a step too far.

Tonight the Evan Dando we see is bashful, shy and humble in front of a packed room. He is -as ever- very understated, leaving the songs to do the talking. With 20 years of music under his belt, Dando has nothing to prove. Tonight’s show is simple but stunning, and goes to show that you don’t need the light shows, backdrops and pyrotechnics when you’ve got real talent.

Dee Massey

Varshons is released on 15th June 2009. Look out for an interview with Evan Dando on this site soon.

White Horse, High Wycombe
2nd May 2009

OK, its been a little while since I explored the punk roots that led me to being all but thrown out of every house I lived in until the age of 21. Years after being infected with the sounds of Black Flag, Descendents etc via skate vids, I got asked to check out some current punk bands on the Don’t Trust Anything UK Tour.

Arriving at the White Horse venue in HighWycombe I instantly thought is this the right place? The venue has many uses advertised out front, footie matches, pool competitions and a strip club! Then a couple of gnarly, tattooed up geezers start pulling in amps and start to fill up the stage area – the bar staff are replaced by a couple of punk rock chicks and low and behold – we have a gig!

First up are Bracknells RageDC. Talk about authentic UK punk vibe, this 4 piece has a strong old skool vibe, but an awful lot tighter than their 70s predecessors. Definitely heavily influenced by the likes UK Subs, but with a much richer sound. Plenty of sing-a-long anthems here too, well worth checking out if they are playing in your area, RageDC are a well oiled punk machine.

D.S.A. have been kicking around for a couple of years now, and after a getting a few tunes on the latest Strange Notes DVD – Reading’s finest are on a roll. Like RageDC, this is a very authentic sound, but more influenced by US punk rock like what came from the Dead Kennedys and Adolescent’s hectic, but punchy hardcore. “Gotta Skate” gets the lead singer animated, and in turn the place bouncing, its not the biggest crowd, but everyone is stoked off the set. The quality of the bands on display here really deserves a bigger venue and crowd, but that doesn’t deter the band from giving any less than 100% – this is the perfect band for a skate event!

Now the headline is a very different animal, Trust Nothing are from Leon in Spain and have a very unique sound to be very proud of. This is a departure from the nights core punk sound and enters the hardcore realm.

The band more than look the part, and are more than look ready to launch in to their set. Now this is going to be a hard sounds to describe – think Madball, Pulling Teeth and Cromags in a fight with Zeke and you won’t be too far off the mark. “War” is a perfect example of the range of sounds these guys (plus 1 girl!) can acheive, check out their myspace, and definitely look out for future tours. Ina, the lead singer has so much energy, bouncing off the walls and floors seems to his natural order of things, and blindfolding himself and launching in to the crowd doesn’t stop him from missing a single lyric!

All in, Im stoked, punk’s alive and kicking, just needs a few more people to get off their ass’s to show some support – punks always been about the live element and with the evolution of the sound and talent on tour, do yourself a favour, log off youtube for a night and go see a live show!

Philip Procter

The Borderline, London
24/04/09

In a venue which is now threatening to become my new local, I returned to The Borderline Friday to check out fuzzed out, drone masters, Earth.

Years ago I found Earth through their albums ‘Earth 2‘ and ‘Hex’. They were albums that were packed full of satanic, evil drone and sludge. This is what I paid in to see at the Borderline. What I got was a gig heavy on new material from recent release ‘The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull’. This is an album that strays away from their previously dark and evil sound that got me into the band in the first place, into more of a melodic-ambient realm.

The gig itself was never going to be an explosive performance. Earth have never been that kind of band but they always appeared to deliver a heavy, inspired performance none the less. From a band with such a pedigree and cult following you expected a performance worthy of past glories.

Tonight, Earth gave us anything but. It really was a lacklustre effort from a band that should really be able to turn in a fantastic performance after all these years. From the stage manor of Dylan Carlson, you can tell that no real effort is being made, at least not tonight. Earth just seem to be going through the motions.

It was on only one occasion I found myself beginning to zone out and enjoy it. The only piece they played from the ‘Hex’ album, I believe. Unfortunately, this was not enough to redeem the evening. The only saving grace came from a fully stocked bar that provided continuous support in my time of need.

I think the main problem with the show is that I built it up to be something it wasn’t. Dylan Carlson and crew turn in mediocre performance that tested my patience more than a few times. Their songs were played with no inspiration at all and the dark atmosphere that makes Earth’s sound so unique was noticeably absent.

Where bands of the genre like Sunn O))) and Om can create a stage show to accompany their music Earth fall disappointingly short on this occasion.

Better luck next time, fat boy.

Tom Lindsey
Pic: Wikipedia

The Gramophone, London.
23rd April 2009

SoundCrash have been working hard this year to bring some of the worlds hottest club acts to London. In the last month they have bought UK hiphop together at Cargo with the likes of Taskforce and Skinny Man, as well as one of HipHop’s heaviest hitters, Guru. Tonight is equally heavy, focusing on a different element of hiphop, the turntables.

Tokyo’s, if not Asia’s most talented DJ KENTARO is topping the roster, with Bristols Solid Steel DJ CHEEBA rocking support. The Gramophone is an odd venue, quite classy looking upstairs, but thankfully, they have a dirty dungeon underground where the beats certainly don’t have to conform to a dresscode to get in. The venue is quite small, and filled wall to wall with the usual DJ nerds, and hiphop heads, Cheeba gets us started.

Cheeba’s set is all on Serato, which is basically using the turntables as a controller for sounds in his laptop. Personally, I prefer a DJ to play vinyl, it feels more real, but hiphops about progression so I guess this is the future. Anyways, the set, Cheeba rolls in and out of hiphop breaks and even uses some trumpet samples to scratch out some Rage Against The Machine riffs. Sticking close to his Ninja Tunes labels sound, Cheeba hits up some breakbeat action and the set gets hectic while he constructs heavily layered tunes and scratch routines.

Former World DMC champ, and Ninja Tunes most versatile, talented warrior takes to the stage. I’ve seen a lot of Kentaro’s videos online and had the pleasure of seeing him play a couple of years ago and it’s safe to say that there is no telling what he is going to do on the night. His albums span from a futuristic evolution of breakbeats, to reggae, all based around hiphop roots and the turntables. To my delight, the serato is taken away and replaced with a third turntable.

Easing in with a mellow scratch routine, DJ Krush’s playful apprentice is relaxed and just feeling the crowd out for their preferred direction. Eric B and Rakims “I Know you Got Soul” gets re-arranged for starters, the beauty here is that Kentaro keeps his scratching away from being too technical to enjoy musically, sure he gets hectic, but you can still bounce to it. Tune selection is something a DJ has always got to get right, but when your ability on the turntables is so high, you can make anything work – anyone who can work Electric Six’s “Gay Bar” tune in to a hard break set has to have balls, and ability – so the direction gets bouncier as the night goes on.

Rolling from a hiphop scratch set in to a dub reggae session Kentaro truly has a wide range of understanding for musical genres, this is firmly demonstrated as he smoothly switches the night up a few notches in to harder breaks. This seems to be Kentaros preferred tempo, around 130bpm, but he still switches another gear and finishes the crowd off with a busy, freestyled drum n bass set that would rock any arena.

Soundcrash have a few more nights up their sleeves, with a new DJ Vadim album launch, plus Herbaliser at Koko with the Dub Pistols. So keep an eye on their site for more gems.

Phil Procter